San Francisco-based Qardio, a San Francisco, Calif.-based startup received U.S. Food and Drug Administration 510(k) clearance for QardioArm, a wireless blood pressure monitor that delivers data to a user’s smartphone.
The device, which is sold directly to consumers, is available for $99 on Qardio’s website an in select stores.
The company debuted its blood pressure and heart rate monitor at this year's Consumer Electronics Show. According to company officials, their goal is for the device be accurate and attractive, so that it fits into the user’s daily life. According to Qardio, the device doesn’t look like a blood pressure monitor, which means users can carry it around in their purse or pocket without drawing attention to it. It is available in many colors.
Product developers tried to make the device—which appears Apple-esque—look more like a notebook so that it looks like other items that potential users would carry around in a purse or work bag.
QardioArm connects via Bluetooth to a companion app on a smart phone where the information can be shared with family members or doctors. The device’s battery lasts one year.
The company is also developing another device, called QardioCore that measures a user’s ECG, heart rate, heart rate variability, levels of physical activity, and variations in body temperature. Qardio officials claim the second device was "just a few months behind" QardioArm.